Interim Head of Maintenance

Location: North Howden

Your new company You will be joining a prestigious Oxford-based organisation with a diverse and historic estate comprising listed buildings, residential accommodation and operational facilities across multiple sites. The organisation is looking for an experienced Interim Head of Maintenance to provide strong leadership and stability to its maintenance function during an important period. This is an excellent opportunity for an established estates, facilities or maintenance professional who enjoys improving services, bringing teams together and taking ownership of a varied operational estate.

Your new role As Interim Head of Maintenance, you will take overall responsibility for the day-to-day leadership and management of the maintenance function for an initial six-month period.

A key priority will be to bring together and develop a currently fragmented maintenance team, establishing clear direction, improving communication and ensuring the department delivers a professional and responsive service. Alongside the people-management element, you will ensure the estate continues to operate safely and effectively, maintaining oversight of statutory compliance, planned and reactive maintenance and smaller in-house projects. Key responsibilities will include:
Leading, motivating and developing the maintenance team, creating greater cohesion, accountability and consistency. Overseeing day-to-day planned, reactive and cyclical maintenance across the estate. Maintaining oversight of statutory compliance, health & safety and contractor management. Reviewing existing maintenance processes and identifying practical opportunities for improvement. Ensuring maintenance requests are appropriately prioritised and effectively managed. Reviewing planned preventative maintenance arrangements and recommending improvements where required.

Managing maintenance budgets, expenditure, procurement, tendering and contractor performance. Overseeing small works, refurbishment and internal maintenance projects. Providing professional advice to senior stakeholders on estate condition, operational risks and maintenance priorities. Working with external consultants, contractors, architects and specialists where required. Ensuring appropriate emergency response and business continuity arrangements are maintained. The compliance function is already well established, so the brief is not about rebuilding it from scratch.

Instead, you'll provide effective oversight while bringing a fresh perspective and identifying opportunities to strengthen existing processes. For this six-month assignment, the focus is expected to be predominantly day-to-day maintenance, compliance, operational leadership and smaller projects, rather than major capital works. What you'll need to succeed You will be an experienced maintenance, estates, facilities or engineering professional with demonstrable experience leading an operational maintenance function and managing teams.

Ideally, you will have:
Significant experience managing a maintenance, estates or facilities function. Strong people leadership skills, including experience bringing teams together and leading through periods of change. Experience managing planned and reactive maintenance programmes. Good knowledge of statutory compliance and maintenance-related health & safety.

Experience of contractor management, procurement and budget control. Experience delivering maintenance works, refurbishments or smaller projects. A relevant qualification in construction, building services, engineering, facilities management or a related discipline. The confidence to work with senior stakeholders and provide clear professional advice. Strong organisational skills with the ability to balance immediate…